transfer case problems

dragonwingblazer · 11-04-2009, 11:20 PM

ok i tried a search in this forum and the drivetrain forum and didnt have any luck finding the same problem.
when switching into 4wd hi or lo it doesnt change the indicator at all, but that is the least of the problems.
to start off with i have reviewed the 4x4 vacume thread and have the hoses hooked up exactly as the thread shows and the actuator appears to be working good.
here is my problem: i have absolutely no 4 hi(which i see is common) but on 4 lo it will engage but as soon as i start giving it gas it slips till the rpm's come back down.
the fluids are perfect in it, i know since i just did a drain and refill on it when i replaced the rear axle seals.i did however notice alot of metal shining on the pan when i was transfering it to another container.
i have not troubleshooted the 4 hi problem yet. but im needing to know if i just need to drop the t-case and do a rebuild on it or do i need to look for something else first before i do that??
i would really rather not do the t-case rebuild if i dont have to since that will likely put the blazer out of commision for a couple weeks with my work schedule but will if i have no other choice.
oh btw this is on an 88 blazer 4x4 with 2.8 auto, and the tranny shifts perfect andrives perfect in 2wd.
thanks

91blazer4x4 · 11-05-2009, 12:35 AM

i had the same problem on my 91 blazer with the 4x4 i found out i that i have a hose pinch and the swtich on the tranfer case was bad and put a new switch in the works fine now. have u checked all the vacum hose bc one of them mint be pinch and not let it engage it or it could be the the switch on top of the tranfer case. the swtich r common to go bad so. if has a little bit of metal slaving i wouldnt worry about unless it was alot then i would be checking more in the tranfer case.

cauzindrama · 11-06-2009, 08:31 PM

the slipping dont make sense cuz its a chain driven Tcase..........are you sure the rear tires aren't spinning???????? and the 4x4 isnt engaged at all....if thats the case then vacuum switch is prolly no good....as stated above they are notorious on these trucks....its only a 20 dollar item.....start with that first and check all vac lines from tcase to acuator on the axle....and if it comes to pulling the tcase i would get a used one from your local j/y unless you have experance with them....OH and make sure all the linkage to make sure its tight and adjusted properlly.....maybe thats why you got no 4hi at all....its prolly inbetween gears!!!!!!!

dragonwingblazer · 11-08-2009, 09:33 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by 91blazer4x4

i had the same problem on my 91 blazer with the 4x4 i found out i that i have a hose pinch and the swtich on the tranfer case was bad and put a new switch in the works fine now. have u checked all the vacum hose bc one of them mint be pinch and not let it engage it or it could be the the switch on top of the tranfer case. the swtich r common to go bad so. if has a little bit of metal slaving i wouldnt worry about unless it was alot then i would be checking more in the tranfer case.

ill double check the lines today since i have a nice day here, the metal shavings werent real bad but quite noticeable in the fluid

dragonwingblazer · 11-08-2009, 09:47 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by cauzindrama

the slipping dont make sense cuz its a chain driven Tcase..........are you sure the rear tires aren't spinning???????? and the 4x4 isnt engaged at all....if thats the case then vacuum switch is prolly no good....as stated above they are notorious on these trucks....its only a 20 dollar item.....start with that first and check all vac lines from tcase to acuator on the axle....and if it comes to pulling the tcase i would get a used one from your local j/y unless you have experance with them....OH and make sure all the linkage to make sure its tight and adjusted properlly.....maybe thats why you got no 4hi at all....its prolly inbetween gears!!!!!!!

thats what i thought too, i couldnt really see how a chain could slip, i was thinking of possibly more of a planetary problem??
im sure the 4wd is engaging in lowsince if i stomp the gas in 2wd on my gravel drive im going sideways but when i had it in 4 low no spinning but no noting till the rpm's come down to pretty much idle.
the 1 thing i did forget to mention is about 2 months ago when i could get it to go into 4lo it seemed to work fine but there was a hell of a whirling kind of sound if i was moving(dont know how to really describe it).
no experience in rebuilding a t-case but im not afraid to jump into it if i have to, after all it cant possibly be anything near as bad to rebuild as the AXOD tranny out of my old 91 taurus i rebuilt a few years ago!
i will however double check the linkage and hoses to make sure that isnt the problem first, will probably replace the switch as well just to be safe.

eNforcer · 11-08-2009, 10:51 AM

My tcase makes that sound in 4lo and it seems to work fine. I'm assuming the whining noise is normal lol.

bryant99 · 11-10-2009, 06:51 PM

Yep.When 4 low will have a whining sound to them.To bad you wasn't closer I have a good rebuilt t-case that I took out of a 93 S-10 blazer.

dragonwingblazer · 11-16-2009, 10:37 AM

ok i finally had a chance yesterday to dig into the blazer a little bit. hoses all look good from what i can see.however i found out that as drama had asked in an earlier post that while it was going into low is wasnt engauging(sp) the front differential.
i did a little testing to make sure the t-case wasnt the problem. i noticed the actuator wasnt moving when shifting into 4wd so i took a pair of visegrips and clamped them down on the bar piece in the full pulled position and tried shifting it inside and i have 4wd hi and low with it that way(though low is still real noisy but doesnt seem to be slipping).
so does that sound like it is more likely the switch or the actuator?
ill try the switch first since its cheaper but it looks like it will be a real pita to get to.
btw i dont know if it makes any difference on tracking down the problem, but the inside indicator shows a change in the indicator on the wheel picture when switch into 4wd but the little dot stays on 2wd. and the linkage looks good and tight.
thanks

cauzindrama · 11-17-2009, 07:58 PM

yea id go with the switch .......most likely the issue.....its not allowing enuf vacuum to the accuator...then change the fluid in the tcase.....uses regular trans fluid in them.....that might quiet it down a bit.

dragonwingblazer · 11-18-2009, 11:47 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by cauzindrama

yea id go with the switch .......most likely the issue.....its not allowing enuf vacuum to the accuator...then change the fluid in the tcase.....uses regular trans fluid in them.....that might quiet it down a bit.

thanks drama for responding, ill go ahead and get a new switc asap and hope that fixes the problem.
only issue with changing th efluid is i just did it at the same i replaced the seals on my rear end(mainly since i was already greasy from the rearend i migt as welll do something else possibly dirty lol!) and the noise stayed the same i used the new dextron stuff which is the only one i cn seem to get around here

11-04-2009, 11:20 PM	#1
dragonwingblazer Registered User Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 32 Location: User is: OffLine	transfer case problems ok i tried a search in this forum and the drivetrain forum and didnt have any luck finding the same problem. when switching into 4wd hi or lo it doesnt change the indicator at all, but that is the least of the problems. to start off with i have reviewed the 4x4 vacume thread and have the hoses hooked up exactly as the thread shows and the actuator appears to be working good. here is my problem: i have absolutely no 4 hi(which i see is common) but on 4 lo it will engage but as soon as i start giving it gas it slips till the rpm's come back down. the fluids are perfect in it, i know since i just did a drain and refill on it when i replaced the rear axle seals.i did however notice alot of metal shining on the pan when i was transfering it to another container. i have not troubleshooted the 4 hi problem yet. but im needing to know if i just need to drop the t-case and do a rebuild on it or do i need to look for something else first before i do that?? i would really rather not do the t-case rebuild if i dont have to since that will likely put the blazer out of commision for a couple weeks with my work schedule but will if i have no other choice. oh btw this is on an 88 blazer 4x4 with 2.8 auto, and the tranny shifts perfect andrives perfect in 2wd. thanks
	[Reply w/Quote]

11-05-2009, 12:35 AM	#2
91blazer4x4 Registered User Age: 21 Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 16 Location: montgomery city mo User is: OffLine	Re: transfer case problems i had the same problem on my 91 blazer with the 4x4 i found out i that i have a hose pinch and the swtich on the tranfer case was bad and put a new switch in the works fine now. have u checked all the vacum hose bc one of them mint be pinch and not let it engage it or it could be the the switch on top of the tranfer case. the swtich r common to go bad so. if has a little bit of metal slaving i wouldnt worry about unless it was alot then i would be checking more in the tranfer case.
	[Reply w/Quote]

11-06-2009, 08:31 PM	#3
cauzindrama Registered User Age: 26 Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 207 Location: Cape Cod MA User is: Online	Re: transfer case problems the slipping dont make sense cuz its a chain driven Tcase..........are you sure the rear tires aren't spinning???????? and the 4x4 isnt engaged at all....if thats the case then vacuum switch is prolly no good....as stated above they are notorious on these trucks....its only a 20 dollar item.....start with that first and check all vac lines from tcase to acuator on the axle....and if it comes to pulling the tcase i would get a used one from your local j/y unless you have experance with them....OH and make sure all the linkage to make sure its tight and adjusted properlly.....maybe thats why you got no 4hi at all....its prolly inbetween gears!!!!!!!
	[Reply w/Quote]

11-08-2009, 09:33 AM	#4
dragonwingblazer Registered User Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 32 Location: User is: OffLine	Re: transfer case problems Quote: Originally Posted by 91blazer4x4 i had the same problem on my 91 blazer with the 4x4 i found out i that i have a hose pinch and the swtich on the tranfer case was bad and put a new switch in the works fine now. have u checked all the vacum hose bc one of them mint be pinch and not let it engage it or it could be the the switch on top of the tranfer case. the swtich r common to go bad so. if has a little bit of metal slaving i wouldnt worry about unless it was alot then i would be checking more in the tranfer case. ill double check the lines today since i have a nice day here, the metal shavings werent real bad but quite noticeable in the fluid
	[Reply w/Quote]

11-08-2009, 09:47 AM	#5
dragonwingblazer Registered User Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 32 Location: User is: OffLine	Re: transfer case problems Quote: Originally Posted by cauzindrama the slipping dont make sense cuz its a chain driven Tcase..........are you sure the rear tires aren't spinning???????? and the 4x4 isnt engaged at all....if thats the case then vacuum switch is prolly no good....as stated above they are notorious on these trucks....its only a 20 dollar item.....start with that first and check all vac lines from tcase to acuator on the axle....and if it comes to pulling the tcase i would get a used one from your local j/y unless you have experance with them....OH and make sure all the linkage to make sure its tight and adjusted properlly.....maybe thats why you got no 4hi at all....its prolly inbetween gears!!!!!!! thats what i thought too, i couldnt really see how a chain could slip, i was thinking of possibly more of a planetary problem?? im sure the 4wd is engaging in lowsince if i stomp the gas in 2wd on my gravel drive im going sideways but when i had it in 4 low no spinning but no noting till the rpm's come down to pretty much idle. the 1 thing i did forget to mention is about 2 months ago when i could get it to go into 4lo it seemed to work fine but there was a hell of a whirling kind of sound if i was moving(dont know how to really describe it). no experience in rebuilding a t-case but im not afraid to jump into it if i have to, after all it cant possibly be anything near as bad to rebuild as the AXOD tranny out of my old 91 taurus i rebuilt a few years ago! i will however double check the linkage and hoses to make sure that isnt the problem first, will probably replace the switch as well just to be safe.
	[Reply w/Quote]

11-08-2009, 10:51 AM	#6
eNforcer S-10 FTW! Age: 24 Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 139 Location: Canada, Alberta User is: OffLine	Re: transfer case problems My tcase makes that sound in 4lo and it seems to work fine. I'm assuming the whining noise is normal lol.
	[Reply w/Quote]

11-10-2009, 06:51 PM	#7
bryant99 Registered User Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 10 Location: User is: OffLine	Re: transfer case problems Yep.When 4 low will have a whining sound to them.To bad you wasn't closer I have a good rebuilt t-case that I took out of a 93 S-10 blazer.
	[Reply w/Quote]

11-16-2009, 10:37 AM	#8
dragonwingblazer Registered User Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 32 Location: User is: OffLine	Re: transfer case problems ok i finally had a chance yesterday to dig into the blazer a little bit. hoses all look good from what i can see.however i found out that as drama had asked in an earlier post that while it was going into low is wasnt engauging(sp) the front differential. i did a little testing to make sure the t-case wasnt the problem. i noticed the actuator wasnt moving when shifting into 4wd so i took a pair of visegrips and clamped them down on the bar piece in the full pulled position and tried shifting it inside and i have 4wd hi and low with it that way(though low is still real noisy but doesnt seem to be slipping). so does that sound like it is more likely the switch or the actuator? ill try the switch first since its cheaper but it looks like it will be a real pita to get to. btw i dont know if it makes any difference on tracking down the problem, but the inside indicator shows a change in the indicator on the wheel picture when switch into 4wd but the little dot stays on 2wd. and the linkage looks good and tight. thanks
	[Reply w/Quote]

11-17-2009, 07:58 PM	#9
cauzindrama Registered User Age: 26 Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 207 Location: Cape Cod MA User is: Online	Re: transfer case problems yea id go with the switch .......most likely the issue.....its not allowing enuf vacuum to the accuator...then change the fluid in the tcase.....uses regular trans fluid in them.....that might quiet it down a bit.
	[Reply w/Quote]

11-18-2009, 11:47 AM	#10
dragonwingblazer Registered User Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 32 Location: User is: OffLine	Re: transfer case problems Quote: Originally Posted by cauzindrama yea id go with the switch .......most likely the issue.....its not allowing enuf vacuum to the accuator...then change the fluid in the tcase.....uses regular trans fluid in them.....that might quiet it down a bit. thanks drama for responding, ill go ahead and get a new switc asap and hope that fixes the problem. only issue with changing th efluid is i just did it at the same i replaced the seals on my rear end(mainly since i was already greasy from the rearend i migt as welll do something else possibly dirty lol!) and the noise stayed the same i used the new dextron stuff which is the only one i cn seem to get around here
	[Reply w/Quote]